Former industry minister David Emerson said his decision to defect from the Liberals and take a cabinet post in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government was made to better serve his constituents.

The Vancouver MP and former head of lumber giant Canfor stunned onlookers when he arrived at Rideau Hall shortly before the Tory cabinet was to be announced Monday.

Soon after, he was sworn in as the new Conservative Minister of International Trade and the Minister responsible for the Olympic Games in Vancouver in 2010.

He defended his position at a brief press conference late in the afternoon.

"I fundamentally went through the thought processes many times over, and came to the conclusion I can be more helpful to the people of my riding, the people of my city, the people of my province and the people of my country doing this, as opposed to being in opposition and trying to become a powerful political partisan which I have never been," Emerson said.

Emerson said he originally entered politics at the behest of former prime minister Paul Martin. At that time he was not a Liberal, but decided to enter politics to serve the people of his riding.

He said he would have "absolutely" stayed on in Paul Martin's cabinet if the former PM had been re-elected.

One reporter demanded to know how Emerson could go from knocking on doors and banging in signs for the Liberal Party, to representing the opposition, within only a few weeks.

"I was elected to serve the people of Vancouver Kingsway," Emerson answered. "I will continue to serve them as the member of Parliament for Vancouver Kingsway.

"I have always served the people of my riding on a non-partisan basis, I run my office there on a non-partisan basis because I was running as a Liberal and I ran because I was encouraged by prime minister Martin."

On election night, however, Emerson told his supporters things like "We have got to look at this as Ground Zero for rebuilding a stronger, more vibrant, healthier, winning Liberal Party," and added to journalists, "I would like to be Stephen Harper's worst nightmare."

Retribution?

Snatching Emerson could be seen as Conservative retribution for the defection of Belinda Stronach to the Liberals in exchange for a cabinet post.

At the time, Harper harshly criticized Stronach and several Conservatives demanded laws forcing floor-crossers to go back to the electorate for another mandate. However, there is nothing in the Conservative platform about regulating how MPs could go about switching parties.

"I think for him to have gone out and sought out David Emerson in the way which he did is really flying in the face of a lot of positions he had taken," Graham said. "I know some of his own backbenchers are upset about this, because this is the kind of deal-making that they spent time criticizing."

Harper said he approached Emerson based on merit.

"During the last parliament, as I sat across from the government benches, I was consistently impressed with David Emerson," Harper told reporters after being sworn in as Canada's 22nd prime minister.

"He is a man of great intelligence, a man with a stellar record in the private sector, who is clearly committed to public service.

"I asked Emerson to join Canada's new government and he accepted. For this I am grateful and I know Minister Emerson looks forward to continuing to serve the people of British Columbia and all new Canadians in the next Parliament."

New Democrat leader Jack Layton said Harper's controversial decision to appoint a cabinet minister who was elected as a Liberal flies in the face of his election pledge to clean up government.

Layton said MPs who cross the floor to another party should be forced to return to their constituents for a by-election in order to remain in office.

Anne McLellan, the former Liberal deputy prime minister who lost her seat in the election, said Emerson's defection shocked her and others in the party.

"Certainly, based on what I'm hearing, no one, or very few people had any prior knowledge that he was going to do this," McLellan told CTV Newsnet.

McLellan added, however, that Emerson was not looking forward to the prospect of being an opposition MP.

"I talked to David after the election and I know there was no question he was not looking forward to sitting as an opposition member. He told me that he'd come to government, or that he'd come to Ottawa to be in government and try and do some positive things," McLellan said.

Some Liberals saw Emerson as a potential leadership candidate. In the recent campaign, Emerson was featured in televised Liberal election ads promoting the party in British Columbia as the right choice for voters.

His acquisition by the Conservatives gives the party its only elected MP in the major urban centres of Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

"It is a big score for us, no doubt about it," said Conservative strategist Tim Powers.

The Vancouver Kingsway riding where Emerson was elected has been a Liberal stronghold for more than a decade. In fact, the third-place Conservative candidate in the January election only received 18 per cent of the vote.

Many of Emerson's constituents were dismayed at Emerson's sudden change in loyalties. Several told CTV Vancouver had they known he was going to switch to the Tories, they wouldn't have voted for him.

John McNamee, Liberal riding secretary in Vancouver Kingsway, said he thought Emerson would have lost if he had ran as a Conservative

"'I fundamentally went through the thought processes many times over, and came to the conclusion I can be more helpful to the people of my riding, the people of my city, the people of my province and the people of my country doing this, as opposed to being in opposition and trying to become a powerful political partisan which I have never been,' Emerson said.

"Emerson said he originally entered politics at the behest of former prime minister Paul Martin. At that time he was not a Liberal, but decided to enter politics to serve the people of his riding.

"He said he would have 'absolutely' stayed on in Paul Martin's cabinet if the former PM had been re-elected."

What's the word? OPPORTUNIST, perhaps?

The PM should tell this wardheeler to urinate on himself.

14
posted on 02/06/2006 9:10:38 PM PST
by decal
(Too many people mistake "tolerance" for "approval")

In case you're interested in Canadian politics, it seems like an OK move to me. I've seen only the sketchiest of bios, but he was apparently CEO of Canfor:

Canfor is a Canadian, integrated forest products company based in British Columbia. The company has extensive woodlands operations and manufacturing facilities in BC, Alberta and Quebec, and a lumber remanufacturing plant in Washington State. Canfor is a major producer and supplier of lumber, bleached kraft pulp, specialty kraft paper, plywood, and OSB for markets around the world.

Take him at his word, and dump him in the next election if he gets out line. He should know a bit about hidden subsidies in the softwood lumber dispute, and will be able to give Harper any information he needs, if any.

I marvel at the Liberals' hypocrisy in claiming their purchase of Belinda Stronach had nothing to do with politics. It is politics and at least Harper's not pretending Emerson joined his Cabinet out of high minded motives like Martin did.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

19
posted on 02/06/2006 10:49:35 PM PST
by goldstategop
(In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)

My initial reaction to this was mildly negative, but now I'm beginning to see it was really smart on Harper's part. That riding (Vancouver Kingsway) doesn't look winnable for any other Tory (Kanman Wong got less than 19% of the vote last month; 2004 results were about the same) while the NDP was 5K votes back in both elections.

Thus I think Harper and his team figured there was nothing to lose here, and at a minimum they have taken a guy out of the Liberal leadership competition that, as party leader, might hurt them in BC at the next election.

Just to clarify, for the past couple of decades the position of Speaker has been filled via a secret vote in the House. Accordingly, it's quite likely the position will be filled by someone from the Opposition Benches.

Given both their small numbers & lack of appeal to Tories & supposed right-of-center Liberals, the selection of a Dipper is pretty unlikely.

Not that this is certain but, perhaps watch for the CPC Caucus to kill more than one bird with a single stone by backing the "lesser of evils" Liberal knowing full well that doing so will only further stir the factionalism pot within that Caucus. (... snicker!)

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